Fellowship Of The Mystery

Angelic Intelligences

2010-05-24T05:34:00.000-07:00

The separate aspects of God's persona, called emanations, have from time began been worshiped by mankind as individual "Gods." Some of these have been demonized as "false Gods" by collectively conservative religious "teachers" throughout the centuries. Traditionally, there is said to be nine orders of Angelic intelligences, separated into three divisions as follows in "occult" terminology: First are those called supercelestial; which are all knowing and intellectual, which worship only the One True God. These are they which are before throne continually, and are concerned only with the adoration and service of God. Second are those called celestial; which govern every sphere and the courses of the heavenly bodies. These also as it were, are divided among themselves into countless orders working harmoniously one with the other; Namely, Saturnine, Jovial, Martial, Solar, Lunar, etc. Thirdly, are those spirits concerned with earthly matters (nature), and the affairs of men. These also are divided into separate orders such as, Fiery, Watery, Aerial, and Terrestrial. Also Emotion, Intellect, Imagination (creativity), and Spirit or soul of man and beast. Let us also remember contrawise, there must also be nine orders of demonic, or infernal intelligences. It is these (popular belief says), who ursuped the name of God, and caused man to worship them as Gods, requiring even sacrifice at times. These are categorized in the Zohar into three divisions as well. It is written: "Come, See! In these evil species are three degrees, one above the other. The upper degree of these three hang in the air, the lowest are these which laugh at people and trouble them in their dreams. And there is a higher degree upon them which are from the above and the below (a mixture, or middle degree), which make known unto man things which are sometimes true and sometimes not true, and those things which are true, they happen in the future."

Tarot (Introduction)

2008-11-25T10:33:00.000-08:00

The Tarot deck is a pictorial text-book that speaks to it's reader through the language of symbolism. Though Tarot is used and taught today almost exclusively in an exoteric or common manner, Dr. Author Edward Waite concluded that the Tarot had no exoteric history prior to the 14th century. The oldest known versions can be found in museums around Europe dating back to about 1392, however; there is an occult tradition that places the creation of the modern tarot in earlier times. This tradition says that the Tarot deck was created by a group of Adepts who met at yearly intervals in the city of Fez, in Morocco.

At this particular time period, after the destruction of Alexandria; it is said that Fez became the literary and intellectual capital of the world. Wise men of all nations, languages and cultures are said to have gathered there annually, meeting at the Vernal Equinox. Their conferences became increasingly difficult because of the variances in language and philosophical terminology so they arrived at a decision to embody the most vital elements of their respective teachings in a book of pictures whose interpretations and combinations would depend on an understanding of occult correspondences (numerical and other).

They chose the universal system of numbers and letters demonstrated in Kabbalah, though Jewish in appearance Kabbalah embodies the mystic teachings and lessons of the Orient and if it is properly understood then all systems and philosphies can be neatly superimposed upon its framework. Each of the Major 22 Trumps correspond to one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew Alphabet.

Other cards are divided into four categories called suits, also known as 'The Lesser Arcana,' they symbolize and correspond with the four letters of the Tetragrammaton or 'The Ineffable Name' YHWH, which esoterically embodies all quadruplicities but in this particular instance we will focus on the four basic elements. They are:

Wands or Scepters- correspond with Air.
Cups- corresponding to water.
Swords- which correlate with fire
Pentacles- Earth.

Recapitulation

2008-10-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

Occult Recapitulation is often described as the process of consciously recovering past life memories or abilities. We all experience various degrees of recapitulation for most of our lives.
More broadly defined, Recapitulation is a natural process of reconstituting and integrating our past selves into our present life. It encompasses and dictates our personal evolution and journey from the moment of our soul's arrival on Earth as a simple life form to its present 4th Kingdom vehicle. The process unfolds in three stages: Physical, Self-Consciousness, and Memory.

Physical recapitulation starts in the womb when we literally relive and physically reconstitute all the unborn bodies we've had over the course of the past eons of Earth's evolution. We start at conception as a simple one celled life form. We multiply into a colony of cells. Then our embryo becomes a simple ocean dweller (complete with gills), land mammal, primate, and finally a human baby. Early biologists even called this process Recapitulation.

Self-consciousness (personality) recapitulation begins at birth, when the newborn infant is operating at a completely subconscious level. Over the course of childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood we relive the entire evolution of self-consciousness from our prehistoric cave dwelling days to modern civilization. In childhood our latent self-awareness begins to awaken, but in an immature / underdeveloped state; we are driven by want, controlled by the lower self. In adolescence we go through a phase of violent forced separation and distinction from our parents (often presented as rebellion) in order to solidify a separate self-conscious individual personality of our own. This personality continues to mature and develop into adulthood as self-awareness grows.

Memory recapitulation is the integration of specific memories or skills into a mature self-consciousness that is ready to receive it. Most humans at this time only experience the first 2 stages of Recapitulation. Until midlife most people aren't even caught up to where we were psychologically at the time of death in our previous incarnation. Not too surprisingly, a midlife identity crisis often ensues at this time. If the pitfalls of regression can be avoided, the crisis passes and what follows in the second half of life is new growth. Human life-spans are increasing to accommodate this.

Toward the end of this life, we can do certain things to make the recapitulation process easier and faster next time. Without going into detail, this involves using the Law of Suggestion to plant charged memories in the subconscious that will act as signposts to accelerate awakening later.

~Know Thyself~
B.H. Powell

Earth's Cries Recorded in Space

2008-09-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

The Earth emits an ear-piercing series of chirps and whistles that could be heard by any aliens who might be listening, astronomers have discovered.

The sound is awful, a new recording from space reveals....

Original article

Hear the sound:

The Laws of Hermetics

2008-09-11T16:19:00.000-07:00

1 - The Law of Mentalism: God, or The All is Mind, The Universe is mental and is continuously created and maintained by the Creative Genius.
2 - The Law of Correspondence: As above, so below; as below, so above. Likewise, our outer world is a reflection of our inner world – as within, so without.
3 - The Law of Vibration: Nothing rests, everything is in a constant state of motion, everything vibrates.
4 - The Law of Polarity: Everything is Dual; everything has poles, everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet, all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled.
5 - The Law of Rhythm: Everything flows out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates.
6 - The Law of Cause & Effect: Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause; everything happens according to Law; Chance is but a name for Law not recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the Law.
7 - The Law of Gender: Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles; Gender manifests on all planes.

Self Righteousness

2008-09-10T10:07:00.000-07:00

To be truly Innocent we must strive to become unconscious even of our own perceived sense of satisfaction in doing good deeds, as doing good for self-satisfaction is indeed selfish.

Jesus and Barabbas III

2008-09-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

Further, it is reasonable to deduct that the Jews may very well have adopted this 'custom' and made it made it to their suiting by masking it with elements of their own history. In the book of Esther we have the origins of the feast of Purim which occurs yearly about 1 month before the Passover. In the story we have Haman (royal vizier to King Ahasuerus/Xerxes) who conspires to kill the Jews and has set up the gallows to execute Mordecai (Esther's Cousin). Ultimately, Mordecai is exonerated and Haman himself is hanged in his stead in the very gallows that he set up.

In accordance with numerous similar antiquitious traditions from that region the Jews seem to have adopted a ceremony which was symbolically used to denote the end or passing of the previous year with the coming of a new, represented in the New Testament by making Jesus as the Haman (passing) and Barabbas as the Mordecai (beginning) of the year.
customs include drinking wine, wearing of masks and costumes, and public celebration.

In Babylon it was called the Feast of the Sakeas, to the Romans it was Saturnalia. It was ostensibly a memorial of the inroad of the Scythian Sakes into Nearer Asia, and was identical with the very ancient new year's festival of the Babylonians, the Zakmuk. A mock king, a criminal condemned to death, was here also the central figure -- an unhappy being, to whom for a few days was given absolute freedom and every kind of pleasure, even to the using of the royal harem, until on the last day he was divested of his borrowed dignity, stripped naked, scourged, and then burnt. The Jews of the Southern Kingdom gained knowledge of this 'custom' during the Babylonian captivity, borrowed it from their oppressors, and Incorporated its traditions shortly before their Pasch under the name of the Feast of Purim.

Jesus and Barabbas II

2008-09-04T10:15:00.000-07:00

We see another depiction of the trial of Jesus in John 18:39-40, however this version of the story offers an interesting additional piece of information. Here we see the words of Pilate to the crowd in Jerusalem: "But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber."

To what 'custom' is Pilate here referring? There is no record of any such custom among the Israelites recorded in the books of the Law... Interestingly, the answer to this can be found in the religions of ancient Mesopotamia where the public execution of a prisoner in the role of a divine ruler was connected with the celebration of the new year.

The tradition is said to have begun with Nimrod and his wife Seramisis. Nimrod later came to be worshiped under the personage of Marduk, god of heaven. Essentially the ancients viewed the procession of the seasons as evidence of a 'war' between the forces of good (Marduk) and the forces of evil (Tiamatt). As the Summer months drew to an end leading up to the time of harvest the people rejoiced in the sustenance that their benevolent god had provided them with during the year; as Autumn ensued and lead into winter the people watched as everything seemingly 'died.' They feared that Tiamat the goddess of darkness and chaos would prevail permanently over Marduk, who would not be able to return the earth to its previous state of plentifulness.

As Spring crept in they feared that Marduk needed assistance in his war with the god of darkness so the king, (who was not only a representative of the god to the people, but also a representative of the people before the god) had to go into the underworld to assist him. Of course the only way for him to achieve this would be through his own death, but rather than sacrifice the actual King the people sought a substitute... a prisoner!

This prisoner was now the representative of the king and his people, this sacrifice on his part was viewed as an atonement not only for the sins of the entire population, but his own as well. It was looked upon as an honorable way to repay your debt to society. Now as the representative of both the Babylonian king and of a sinful people as well as the agent of the god, he now had to submit to ritual acts of humiliation: his symbols of power were removed, and the priest (urigallu) hit him in the face and enjoined him to pray for the forgiveness of his sins and the sins of his people.

He was then clothed in royal garb and crowned, paraded around the city (sometimes riding an ass) and eventually killed. His soul was then believed to descend into the underworld where he helped Marduk fight the powers of darkness and prevail. The Israelites would have become familiar with this custom during the Assyrian-Babylonian captivity.

Jesus and Barabbas

2008-09-03T10:22:00.000-07:00

Most Bible readers are familiar with Pilate's famous words during the trial of Yehoshua "Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?" What most do not realize is that Barabbas' first name was actually Jesus as well.

The name 'Barabbas' is actually a surname or family name in much the same sense as Peter was known as Simon Bar-Jonah (Matthew 16:17) which means Simon 'son of'' Jonah. Bar is a Hebraic or Aramaic rendering of the word 'son,' so Simon (Peter's) Father was named Jonah and he was called Simon the son of Jonah. Now Barabbas actually means Bar-Abba or son of the Father.

So a more accurate rendition of what Pilate actually may have said might be, "Whom will ye that I release unto you? Jesus who is called the son of the Father or Jesus who is called Christ?"

This detail, the fact that Barabbas' first name was actually Jesus, isn't mentioned in the King James version, but it is in the New Revised Standard Version.

I.N.R.I?

2008-09-02T08:15:00.000-07:00

We are all familiar with the initials universally displayed over the head of the image on most crucifixes and art work displaying the same. We have been taught that these initials, this acronym stands for "Iesvs Nazarenvs Rex Ivdaeorvm" Latin uses an "I" instead of the English "J," and a "V" instead of "U," so a modernized rendering would be "Jesus Nazarenus Rex Judaeorum." The English translation being "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."

There is speculation however that the N could have actually stood for Nazorean rather than Nazarene (meaning someone from the village of Nazareth). The Nazoreans were a sect that is believed to have been an offshoot of the Essenes. In fact, the town of Nazareth is not mentioned anywhere in the Old Testament, nor is it mentioned in the Talmud (which names 63 towns in Galilee by name). Further there is no archaeological or archival records or evidence that any town called Nazareth even existed before the fourth century A.D.

Nazareth was not included in the list of settlements of the tribes of Zebulon (Joshua 19:10-16) which mentions twelve towns and six villages, and Nazareth is not included among the 45 cities of Galilee that were mentioned by Josephus (37AD-100AD), a widely traveled historian who never missed anything and who voluminously describes the region. The name is also missing from the 63 towns of Galilee mentioned in the Talmud.

The first reference to Nazareth is in the New Testament where it can be found 29 different times. However, there is still cause for speculation as to whether or not the city existed at the time of Jesus. It is mentioned only in the Gospels and Acts. These books do refer to Nazareth, but they did not originate at this time, they are later writings. The earlier writings of the NT (Paul etc) mention Jesus 221 times - but never mention Nazareth.

One possibility is that it comes from the Hebrew root nzr in the form of the noun nazir, meaning someone "set apart," "consecrated," and, therefore, "holy," or in the form of the noun nezer, meaning "crown." A second possibility is that it comes from the Hebrew noun netser, meaning "branch" or "flower."

Will Power (Cont.)

2008-08-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

Remember the axiom, “As above so below:” like wise, as Atziluth is immediately proceeded by and holds direct influence over Briah, so is our physical world and life proceeded immediately and directly influenced by Yetzirah (or the astral plane). Seeing as we all have this aetheric or subtle body which is the vehicle of the above plane, and is submersed in the waters of the same, then through it we are all connected. For using this substance as a conduit for sending influence from one person to another is no more difficult than floating a toy boat to a person that is in the same swimming pool as you are.

In like manner this can be used for our good, and for the good of others. Each of the successive worlds or realms correspond to one of the four characters in the Tetragrammaton or YHWH, each letter in The Name also has a symbolic significance that is useful in the context which we are speaking.
(י) Yod, transliterated as the English Y signifies in Hebrew symbology a hand, or more expressly, God’s hand.
(ה) Heh, the letter H represents the form of a window or opening.
(ו) Vav, transliterated in this instance as the letter W symbolizes a nail.
(ה) The final Heh, another H, signifies once again, a window or opening.

What you have then is this: visualizing the thing which you desire intone the name or phonetic sound of the letter while seeing the same before your eyes; keeping in mind what the character represents, visualize the thing you are asking for ‘in the hand of God.’ Then follow with the proceeding charater, the Heh and this time see ‘God’s hand’ passing the thing into the next reality through the Heh or opening from His plane into the next, towards you. Next intone the Vav and see the item being ‘nailed’ or concretized, fixed into reality. Finally you arrive at the final Heh, your request is passing through the final opening or window, into physical reality, into your possession.

The complexity of Man created in the image of God and all its implications is expressed by the Kabbalists through the glyph:

The placement and position of the Vav (nail) should also be considered, as it symbolizes man’s procreative powers to bring life into existence.

Will Power

2008-08-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

Man, being created in the image of God, has been bestowed with abilities similar though inferior to those of God. Namely the power of creation, not only in the obvious manner: being the ability to reproduce and fabricate, but also to imitate to some degree the creation of our personal world and circumstances. Not only through means of activity or inactivity, but also through understanding and utilizing the natural dynamics of the creative process set in place by the Divine Mind.

Though we have briefly outlined this in the past, there is need here for a short reiteration of what was previously set forth: According to Kabbalistic philosophy the creation of the manifested world took place successively. In other words the creation began as abstract “ideas” in the Genius or Creative Mind of God and then became progressively “concrete” through a series of evolutionary changes as they passed through the subsequent worlds.

The first of these is called Atziluth; it is the unknowable mind of God. It is the place where the Divine Concepts originate and are formless, existing as pure ideas, unmanifest, yet alive.

The second is known as Briah; it is here that the abstract ideas come into an Archetypal, comprehensive, though distorted form.

Thirdly is Yetzirah; it is the region of thoughts that enter into and proceed from human consciousness; it is what is called the Astral Plane.

Finally there is the world of Assiah; the fourth and final stage of manifestation. This is the world of perceived reality, made for our physical vehicle to interact with via the 5 senses, the manifested world in which we live.

Created things and entities proceed in a descending manner from Atziluth toward Assiah. This process can be illustrated thus: A man has a notion to design and build a house to his taste (Atziluth). He then verbalizes his ideas to a designer who begins to formulate a blueprint and make sure that the dimensions are fit for design (Briah). The blueprints are given to a General Contractor who then assembles the workers and materials, and begins constructing the frame and building the structure (Yetzirah). The home is now completed, made in accordance with the original and intended design of the owner (Assiah).

We have the ability to duplicate this to some degree, though the use of techniques and systems designed to heighten our awareness of these forces. It has been known for centuries to practitioners of magick that change must first be made to occur in Yetzirah or the astral plane before it can manifest itself here in our physical world.

Even our physical bodies have an (a)etheric double, and practitioners of Reiki say that they can ‘see’ disease in our (a)etheric or astral counterpart before it manifests itself or becomes detectable in our physical body; and that these diseases or negative energy usually manifests or shows themselves at the first to be black in color and tar-like in consistency. These are said to be seen upon the subtle body in the very region and location where the disease will eventually turn up.

New Sites

2008-07-15T19:28:00.000-07:00

In order to further promote my new book and my publishing Imprint I have reserved two web domains:

Pathoftheheretic.com
and
equilibria-books.com

Both sites are currently under construction but will be up and running soon with reciprocal links with this site.

I intend to begin regularly writing in, and updating this blog. I just have a lot on my plate at the moment.

Thank you all who have bought a copy already!

Path of the Heretic [Trailer 2]

2008-07-07T21:37:00.000-07:00

Here is my second attempt at making my own promotional video for my new book.
Hopefully its a little better than the last one.

Trailer

2008-07-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

I made a trailer to help advertise my book and generate public interest and/or curiosity.

Forgive me if it seems a little "cheesy," but after all, it was my first attempt at doing something like this.

I'd appreciate feedback and emails.

Path of the Heretic

2008-06-04T10:09:00.000-07:00

Soon to be released, Path of the Heretic: Liber Erratum.

Here is what people are saying:

"A truly great piece of writing that penetrates the mythic truths behind Biblical symbolism. I truly enjoyed Bernard Powell's perceptive and eloquent exposition of themes running through the Bible's mystical and occult (hidden) landscape."..

-Steven Ashe, Author of Qabalah of 50 Gates and The Qabalah Codex

"Heretic is a wonderful and inspiring book. Having been involved in occult circles for the majority of my life, Path of the Heretic is like a spiritual refreshment. Even with you and I coming from differing areas of study and focus, I was able to get a lot out of it and would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone with a serious interest in the esoteric."
-Bob Freeman, Author and Creator of the Cairnwood Manor Series

"The Heretic is a unique insight into the nature of Christian esotericism; a wonderful example of one man's journey into the deeper aspects of Christian spiritual traditions and what it can mean to the rest of us."
- Mark Stavish, Director of Studies, The Institute for Hermetic Studies, author of Freemasonry - Rituals, Symbols and History of the Secret Society and Between the Gates - Lucid Dreaming, Astral Projection and the Body of Light in Western Esotericism"

2012

2008-04-28T12:21:00.000-07:00

There is alot of noise and speculation surrounding the impending approach of the year 2012 and the Mayan Calender. It is my speculation that the Mayan Calendar is something far more than just a system or graph to mark the passage of time. The Mayan Calendar may also be a prophetic calendar that can help us understand the past and foresee the future. It is a calendar of the Ages that describes how the progression of Heavens and Underworlds condition and impact human consciousness and the frames for our thoughts and actions within a given Age. The Mayan Calendar does not predict the end of the world 2012, but the start of a new era; the Aquarian age.

If any of you are familiar with the field of Astro-Theology then you know what I am talking about. The sun takes approximately 2,000 years to pass backward through one zodiac sign, this is referred to as an "age" or an "aeon" and is known as the procession of the equinoxes. This procession for example causes the fixed stars to rise and set against the earth’s solar years so that at the first day of spring, which is the spring equinox, the constellation of Aries no longer rises but the constellation of Pisces does now. Prior to, and during the time of Moses the sun resided in the House of Taurus. The Exodus marked the dawning of the Age the sun entering into the House of Aries and the closing or exiting of the sun from the house of Tarus.

When the Israelites were in the wilderness they made an image to worship, do you remember what it was? Yes, a golden bull (Taurus) because that was the imagery with which they were familiar. Moses, heralding in a new age (Aries) commanded them to destroy the bull (the same imagery is seen in the cult of Mithras). After Moses had established the Torah or Law, what became the means to call together the congregation and ceremoniously open and close worship? The Shofar or ram's horn (see the Aries symbolism?). Once the sun had quit the house of Aries came the dawn of the age of Pieces and Christianity. What was the main symbol for early Christians? The fish. In fact, this symbolism is frequently used in the New Testament: Christ fed the multitude with two fish and a loaf of bread, the Disciples were fishermen, "Follow me and I shall make you fishers of men," not to mention the Papal tiara being shaped like a fish head with it's mouth agape.

Each sign exerts its influence on humanity's consciousness, thoughts, and spiritual development.

One to Grow on

2007-05-12T14:44:00.000-07:00

Interestingly enough, Paul quoted a "Pagan" writer/philosopher when he said in Acts 17:28, "For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your poets have said, For we are also his offspring." Paul clearly said this to create a common "bond" with the people of Athens, quoting a poet with whom they all were presumably familiar, and lessening the preconceived gap, or separation that they would have placed between themselves and Paul, being a Jew!
What I find interesting is that Paul was familiar with the writings of the so-called Pagan poets, Epimenides in particular, who was the original author of the saying. Modern day Christians could learn a lot if they only would read further into the scriptures, and examine the examples set forth by the forerunners of the Faith who oftentimes, went intentionally against the status quo.

Prayer

2006-10-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

Most of us seem to think that the purpose of prayer is to ask God for things that we want, and "need," as well as to ask for what we want for others. It is generally defined: "The act of attempting to verbally communicate with the supenatural, or Divine. It is sometimes communal, as during a church service; it is sometimes done in private. Its purpose is to praise God, to give thanks to God, to repent of sinful behavior, to ask forgiveness, to seek a favor from God." Of course this definition is limited, but the point I want to make is that prayer is communion with the divine. Communication is reciprocal sharing between individuals of written, oral and non-verbal information according to a common set of rules. The problem lies in that most of us are too busy talking, to recieve anything.
As prayer becomes more attentive and inward, one will find that one has less and less to say, and ideally it becomes a time of complete silence. By silence I do not mean inactivity. This is when one can begin to "listen" rather than speak. It is the understanding that "God, already knows of that which you have need." Therefore, it is unecessary to reiterate it verbally, one needs only to be still, and allow one's self to recieve.
"Be still, and know that I am God."

Theurgy

2006-09-26T08:46:00.000-07:00

The term Theurgy is used to describe the practice of a series of rituals, sometimes seen as magical in nature, performed with the intention of invoking the action of God (or some other personified supernatural being or power), particularly with the goal of re-uniting oneself with the Divine, achieving theosis, and perfecting oneself. The Catholic mass can in fact be considered a form of theurgistic ritual, in which the being of Christ is invoked into the Eucharist.

Theurgy literally means divine-working. The source of Western theurgy can be found in the philosophy of the Neoplatonists, especially one Iamblichus. The universe is regarded as a series of emanations proceeding from the Godhead. Matter itself being the lowest form or manifestation of these emanations, and therefore is not in essence considered to be different from the Divine. Although opinions concerning the number and qualities of these emanations vary, most were in agreement that God was singular and good. Neoplatonists were technically polytheists, they also embraced a form of monism: reality itself is multi-faceted, with varied gods, but they all represented aspects of the one reality, though in accordance with the perceptions and culture of the individual.
According to Plotinus, and Iamblichus' teachers Anatolius and Porphyry, the emanations are as follows:
The One: Deity without quality, sometimes called The Good. Mind: The Universal consciousness, from which proceeds the psyche
Soul: Including both individual and world soul, leading finally to
The Physical, or Nature as we perceive it.
Plotinus urged preparation and deep contemplations for those who wished to perform theurgy, the goal of which was to reunite with God. Therefore, his school resembled, and was structured as a school of meditation or deep thought. One of his students, Iamblichus of Syria, taught a more ritualized method of theurgy, that involved invocation and religious, as well as magical ritual. Iamblichus believed theurgy was an act of imitation of the gods themselves, and in his work entitled "On the Egyptian Mysteries," he described theurgic ritual and practice as "ritualized cosmogony" that endowed embodied souls with the divine responsibility of creating and preserving the cosmos, or allowing disembodied souls (the gods) to work through the practioner.
Iamblichus' analysis was that the spiritual cannot be fully understood by mental contemplation alone because the spiritual transcends reason and is supra-rational. Theurgy is a series of rituals and operations aimed at recovering the transcendent essence by retracing the divine 'signatures' through the layers of being. Education is important for comprehending the scheme of things as presented by Aristotle, Plato and Pythagoras but also by the Chaldaean Oracles. The theurgist works 'like with like': at the material level, with physical symbols and magical acts; at the higher level, with mental and purely spiritual practices. Starting with a working knowledge of the relation of the aspects of the divine in the physical world, the theurgist eventually reaches the level where the soul's inner divinity re-unites with God from whence it originated, and achieves a sense of closeness and nurture for all creation, especially humanity.

The Holy Grail Legend

2006-05-17T10:34:00.000-07:00

I am writing this, not for my peers in esoteric studies, but for the general populace. There has been a serious influx of interest in occult and esoteric literature due to Dan Brown's The Davinci Code becoming first, a national best seller, and second a major motion picture. As they say, "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."

There has been much discussion and media coverage concerning the Holy Grail as of lately, especially in connection with Mary Magdalene and the grail. I would like to inform those who are new to this arena of knowledge that there are other "legends" concerning the nature of said grail. Not just the one you have been exposed to by reason of the public's apparent adoration of Mr. Brown's fictional story, and sensationalized description of events. One such legend has been passed down thus:

Prior to being cast out of heaven, Satan was the most glorious of all the angels: He wore a crown or diadem in which was fixed a green stone which is now called the lapis exilis (stone of exile). During the battle which took place between the host of heaven, and "rebellious Angels" who followed Satan, Michael the arch-angel struck the stone out of Satan's crown with his flaming sword. The stone then fell through the various celestial worlds into the abyss.

Out of this stone was made the Sangreal, or Holy Grail from which it is said that Christ drank at the Passover, or Last Supper. Joseph of Arimathea supposedly brought this chalice to the crucifixion and caught in it the blood issuing from Christ's wounds. Later, Joseph had become the keeper of the sacred relics which included the grail, and the spear of the Roman soldier Longinus ( the lance used to pierce Christ's side). He supposedly carried the artifacts off to a distant country. one version says his descendants placed them in Glastenbury Abbey in England; another says in a castle in Mount Salvat in Spain, built by Angels in a single night, and yet another says that the last of the Grail Kings, one Prester John Parsifal carried it into India and disappeared forever.

This legend however, was quite real in the mind of Adolph Hitler, he sent troops to a museum in which the lance was reported to be, and had it stolen (or so the story goes). As the legend said, "He who possesses the spear, controls the destiny of the world." It is reported, on 12th March 1938, the day Hitler annexed Austria, he arrived in Vienna a conquering hero. He first stop was to the Hofmuseum where he took possession of the Spear which he immediately sent to Nuremberg, which was the spiritual capital of Nazi Germany.

Of Truth, And Love

2006-01-23T06:13:00.000-08:00

Truth and Love are of the same essence, for both in their purest forms are unaltered by external circumstances or events. By this I mean of course true love, as the love for one's children. The love that is between a man and a woman rarely comes into this sphere of existence , as one or both are often times imperfect in their love toward the other, or in a word; selfish. Indeed the word "love" today, is much abused. Truth likewise, is truth no matter what; unaffected by circumstances or events taking place in the life, or in the mind of the contemplator. The two, love and truth are in fact so close in relation, that upon careful examination, you will find that you cannot have one, without the other. This is also the meaning behind God's love, implied according to the definition of truth. As it is written, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."
Now the Tetragrammaton, meaning "the four character word", which is God's name represented by the four Hebrew characters יהוה; contains in itself (among other things) the complete expression of truth and love. Its meaning is can be interpreted thus: two separate things combine (as man and woman), with a double effect; first the destruction of both by denial of themselves for the other, accompanied by the realization that prior to this union, they were each incomplete; secondly, the creation of a third thing (usually a child), which brings about the joy of the creation of life which confirms one's own existence (for one does not truly exist, until one's existence is acknowledged), then thru examination and self development, one becomes aware of his own imperfections, and loves unconditionally. One will also notice that both of these (truth and love) are of no effect, and cannot be obtained nor maintained without action, for action is required for the expression of each. Again, it is written, "If you love me, keep my commandments,"and "Faith without works, is dead," I will leave you to draw your own conclusions from here, as there are countless applications and parallels to be perceived from this formula, which can be applied to one's own life in any number of ways......

Religion?

2006-01-13T00:09:00.000-08:00

The word religion has it's origin in the Greek tongue, the word literally means to bind, hold, or restrain. This can be viewed or taken in different context and literal translation, some say it is to bind as in people together, or to restrain lust and vice. These are reasonable translations, depending on the sincerity of the organization or church in question. But, history paints a different picture. Let me say this from the beginning, it is not my intention to debase, degrade, or demonize organized religion, or to attack any church or denomination. Nor is it my intent to insult anyone's beliefs, but rather, I am simply trying to inspire individual thought and investigation. I will not bore you with my own testimony, or give you the details on how I arrived at these conclusions (unless you ask). I do not think it is unreasonable to question yourself and your beliefs, to see if your faith is true. The Lord does not want a bunch of mindless fools professing his good name, and pronouncing their faith in him! Examine yourselves, and the doctrines presented to you by your chosen leaders.
Religion has been used to manipulate the minds of the people for years,... centuries! Not to mention the fact that it divides even people professing the same faith! Constantine the great meshed Christianity with paganism just to be able to employ the "villagers" in the Holy Wars against the Ottoman Empire. So you see, it has also been used for political gain. I therefore, see religion as a tool to restrain, hold down, and surpress spiritual growth. The church has excluded dozens of books from the holy texts! And why? Because they (the writings) didn't coincide with the church's teachings! So, you decide; was the problem contained in the writings, or the church?
As I said, I am not here to judge anything, just to provoke thought. Religion serves many purposes, a sense of well-being, fellowship, community, etc... Some may even need it in order to behave themselves! That's fine, what ever makes you a better person. Most importantly and foremost, it should be a constant learning process. Not just taking what you are told for face value, but investigating for yourself! To have faith is extremely important, but be sure of who, or what it is that your faith lies! Is your faith in the Word, or in the doctrines of men? Do you study, meditate, and pray? If so, and if your heart is true, you will strengthen your faith to the point of knowing indefinitely! Not merely believing! To know is the manifestation of communion between God and man, through Christ. To believe without knowledge, is foolishness! Even a parrot, can be trained to repeat words that it hears, such are many church goers. More to come...